In some contexts, time is of the essence for photographers, especially professional photographers engaged in photo shoots involving sporting events, unfolding important news stories, fashion shows, and celebrity events. Customers or employers of photographers who provide photos or images of this subject matter can be very demanding. They often operate in a commercially competitive environment where the first to provide such images to the general public can often achieve significant financial benefits.
However there can be significant delays in providing professional images so that they can be made available to the general public. Many photographers use digital cameras to capture images at a photo shoot. At a later point in time, these images usually must be transferred from the camera to a computer located at a studio where the images can be formatted in order to modify their color, size, resolution, etc. and to add metadata. Then the photographers or their studios frequently must transfer these modified images to their customers or employers, etc. via email or other means so that they can make a selection of one or more desired images for use or purchase, and can collaborate with the photographer regarding further modifications to be made to the images (i.e., post production work). To request or discuss additional image modifications, phone calls, additional emails, etc. frequently were required.
Accordingly, there is a need to improve and facilitate the distribution and management of digital images so that high quality images can be made available to the end user more efficiently and in less time.